


Unleash the Chaos

by katzaren



Series: For I Fancy You [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Sebastian's POV, Tumblr Prompt, references to mental illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzaren/pseuds/katzaren
Summary: Sebastian seeks out Lizzie for a romantic tryst, but instead he finds her in the middle of an episode.
Relationships: Lizzie Saltzman/Sebastian
Series: For I Fancy You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586200
Comments: 7
Kudos: 65





	Unleash the Chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt: "One shot request for Sizzie? How Sebastian reacts to one of Lizzie's episodes?"// Requested by @writers-imagines

Sebastian was the only one who noticed that Elizabeth was feeling unwell. He thought perhaps he would be able to cheer her up, if he could get her alone. On a scrap of parchment, he wrote out his request in elegant script.

_ Care for a reprieve from this tedious class? I would fancy sneaking into the library with you. _

The students beside him were kind enough to pass the note to Elizabeth, though he suspected they did it out of fear. He had that effect on people. He flashed Elizabeth a seductive smile once she looked up at him after reading the note.

She bit her lip, her gaze flicking to the teacher for a moment. She was clearly considering his offer. Her hand glowed red as she placed it against the desk to siphon its magic.

When Sebastian looked down at his parchment, he found a note in Elizabeth’s fine penmanship.  _ Five minutes. _

She raised her hand and told the teacher she needed to go to the ladies room for “personal reasons.”

The substitute teacher Dorian Williams, who doubled as the school librarian, let Elizabeth leave the room without question. Smart man.

Sebastian watched the clock on the wall, each tick of the second hand amplified to his ears. His whole body was tensed, ready to pounce the moment the clock hit the end of five minutes. He already had his excuse prepared.

Three minutes in he sensed that something was deeply wrong. The chair collapsed to the floor as he flung himself towards the door. “I’m hungry,” Sebastian snapped, whatever excuse he’d prepared far from his mind.

No one followed him.

Once outside the room, he listened for Elizabeth. It took only a moment to hear her distant scream. With vampire speed, he flitted through the wood to the Old Mill, the place they had first met. 

Candles, books, and chairs, even rusted chains and what looked like a metal gate, flew through the air. They crashed against the brick wall, the wooden chairs splintering into pieces and the metal bits clattering to the ground. Sebastian winced as a book was relieved of its cover after a particularly nasty crash.

It was clear Elizabeth was having a breakdown of some kind, her magic lashing out as an expression of her emotions. After all, witches were deeply entwined with their feelings. They could make her stronger or they could make her careless. Right now, it just seemed like she needed to let it all out.

Elizabeth caught sight of him. “You shouldn’t be here. I don’t want you to see me like this.” The objects in the room moved faster with more intensity.

Sebastian dodged a huge metal disk that could have taken off his head. He kept his own emotions calm. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her.

He would not leave, even though it would have been safer for himself, for he knew it would make Elizabeth feel abandoned. And those sort of feelings could lead to self harm.

Sebastian leaned against a wooden post near the brick wall and watched the candles tumbling across the floor. He was careful not to look at Elizabeth, for he knew how embarrassing it felt to have others watch you spiral out of control.

Minutes passed, though Sebastian couldn’t say how many, and the objects settled on the ground.

Elizabeth collapsed against the brick wall, wrapping her arms around her knees. Sebastian approached her slowly and sat beside her, his legs straight and hands folded together in his lap. He would not pry, but he wanted to be there for her in case she needed him. He studied the daylight ring on his finger while he waited for her to speak or get up and leave. Whichever she preferred, he would respect her choice.

“Why did you stay?” Elizabeth asked, her tone soft and gentle. It was refreshing from her usual snark, though Sebastian much enjoyed that side of her too.

“I know you find this hard to believe, but I care about you, Elizabeth.”

Her cheeks went an adorable shade of pink. “I could have hurt you,” she said, winding her fingers together.

“I very much doubt that, Elizabeth. Even if you wanted to hurt me, you would find me quite resilient.” Aside from the metal disk that had almost beheaded him, but he kept that to himself.

“I don’t want to.” Elizabeth sighed, leaning back against the wall. She turned her head towards him.

Sebastian met her gaze, marveling in those beautiful eyes and her tear-stained cheeks. Few people truly appreciated the strength of those who suffered. They were battle wounds she wore with dignity.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Elizabeth said. “Why are you so calm? Aren’t you at least a little afraid of me?”

“Do you want me to be?”

Elizabeth fixed him with a glare, though there was no animosity behind it. “Only sometimes. Aren’t you going to ask me what’s wrong with me?”

“No. For there is nothing wrong with you, Elizabeth Saltzman.”

Elizabeth caught her breath, surprised. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave? Now that you’ve seen what a mess I am.”

“Positive. I know you think I could not possibly understand, but I assure you that I can empathize with your situation.”

“How?”

“Humans have a tendency to assume that once you become a vampire, all your illnesses and afflictions are magically cured, but that is far from the truth. Afflictions of the mind follow you through life and death, and being a vampire merely amplifies them.”

“What do you suffer from?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. “Oh, sorry. You don’t have to answer that. I don’t even know why I asked.”

Sebastian smiled at her, amused. He felt so comfortable around her, like he finally had a place to call home. “I do not mind sharing, but I know not what you would call it. In my day these afflictions had no name. We were merely dismissed as being crazy or possessed. My particular affliction sends me into fits of rage with the slightest provocation.”

“Do you hurt people too?” Elizabeth asked, looking at the disaster of broken objects strewn across the floor. She tucked a strand of her silky blond hair behind her ear.

“I…” Sebastian searched for the right word. “I create chaos. But I am trying to be better about unleashing my emotions in healthier ways. Well, maybe not healthier for me, but it certainly leaves everyone else in a healthier state.”

“Sounds like you’re bottling up a lot of rage.”

Sebastian picked up a broken shard of glass from the floor beside him. He held it up to the light, studying it from every angle and watching as the light refracted. How did she manage to see him so well?

“The rage only comes in bursts,” he explained. “I bottle up frustrations. You see, I always have to be the smartest person in the room. It has been that way all my life. While being here is a thousand times better than being trapped in a box, it does make things difficult for me. On one hand, I am fascinated and intrigued by how much new knowledge is available to be learned. But on the other hand, I find myself constantly confused by new words or familiar words which have different meanings, scientific theories that have been disproven. So much has changed in the last five hundred years. It feels like I can no longer be the smartest person in any room.”

Elizabeth reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t have to be the smartest, but I always have to be in control. When I’m not at the Salvatore school, it’s harder for me to have control over my environment. If you thought today was bad…” Her voice trailed off.

“The Salvatore school has been good for me too. At least I am not surrounded by idiotic humans who know nothing of magic or vampires. I get even more frustrated when I am not intellectually challenged. I know, my personality is contradictory.”

“I think most people are filled with contradictions. At least you can admit you have them.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Yes, you are right about that. I am self-aware, as are you.”

“It wasn’t easy for me, though.”

“Nor for me.”

Elizabeth grinned, leaning towards him and touching his arm. “You mean you didn’t come out of the box this way?” Her eyes were expectant, like she’d made a joke, but he didn’t understand what made it funny.

“I did, though. After I was trapped—”

“Oh, sorry. It’s an expression. Like when you buy a toy or something in the store and you open it. Some things come already put together and others don’t.”

Sebastian was grateful that Elizabeth never made him feel stupid. She was calm with her explanations, especially when she wanted him to laugh at a joke. It was clear she wanted such a reaction from him now.

“So you’re saying I am like a toy you wish to play with,” he said with a sly smile.

“You wish,” Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes, though her deepening smile said she shared that same wish.

“Weren’t we supposed to meet up for a tryst in the library?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

Elizabeth laughed. She ran her fingers down his arm, her touch like magic. “The library’s too far away. But there’s a perfectly good bed upstairs in the less damaged part of the Old Mill.”

“Sounds comfortable.” Sebastian stood and offered a hand to Elizabeth. She eagerly took his, and they ascended the staircase together.


End file.
